The regional council has rejected one of the three designs for Mykolaiv region’s new coat of arms; the remaining options are the Olvia design and Saint Nicholas

Mykolaiv Region’s new coat of arms: two designs to be submitted to the regional council for consideration. Photo: Mykolaiv Regional Council

The Heraldry Council of the Mykolaiv Regional Council has selected two designs for the region’s new coat of arms, which will be submitted to councillors for consideration. The options are designs featuring Saint Nicholas and symbols of ancient Olvia.

The decision was taken on 8 April, according to the Mykolaiv Regional Council.

Previously, following discussions, 46 communities in the region supported the coat of arms design featuring Saint Nicholas, a Cossack cross and waves. A further four communities favoured the design featuring a stag (an ancient legacy). Meanwhile, two communities do not support either option.

First coat of arms option: Saint Nicholas, the Cossack cross and waves

Second coat of arms option: ancient heritage and Olbia

Deputy Chairman of the Regional Council Denys Andriiev noted that the sketches had undergone heraldic examination and took into account previous discussions in local communities, as well as an online poll on the Telegram channel of the Head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Vitalii Kim.

«We have carried out important work to ensure that Mykolaiv’s new symbols meet the demands of the present day, reflect our historical heritage and comply with modern heraldic requirements. It was of fundamental importance to us that the final designs reflected the community’s views. The results of the votes and discussions clearly indicate which symbols are close to the hearts of every resident of the region. “Today we have formalised this choice, taking another step towards renewing our region’s identity,» said Denys Andriiev.

In parallel with this process, on 7 April, an additional vote was launched via the «Khvylka» chatbot. However, residents of the region are already complaining about verification issues with the service.

To verify identity, the bot asks questions relating exclusively to the regional centre, which puts residents of other districts in Mykolaiv Oblast at a disadvantage. In particular, the bot asked users to answer questions about where young people usually gather in Mykolaiv, something residents of remote towns, such as Pervomaisk, might not know.

Residents of the districts are complaining about the strange verification process in the ‘Khvylka’ bot. Screenshot from Oleg Dereniuha’s Facebook page

«To vote for the coat of arms of the entire region, residents of Pervomaisk must know the specifics of the names of the districts of the regional center. Don’t know them? Go to hell — what kind of resident of the region are you?» wrote regional resident Halyna Davydova.

Because of this filter, some residents who tried to select other options were unable to pass verification and cast their vote.

The sketches selected by the Heraldry Council are now to be reviewed by the relevant committee on science and education, after which the matter will be brought before the Mykolaiv Regional Council for final approval.

It should be noted that the majority of local communities in the Mykolaiv region supported the option for the region’s new coat of arms featuring Saint Nicholas. At the same time, two communities do not support any of the options at all.